Newsletter

Prop 2 opponents’ message misleading

Alaskans who care about our coasts should be outraged by the claims offered in TV commercials by the industry funded opponents of Ballot Proposition 2, re-creating the Alaska Coastal Management Program. Opponents claim Ballot Proposition 2 will promote legal battles that will delay permits for projects. There is simply no evidence for that claim. The Alaska Coastal Management Program is not a regulatory or permitting entity. The simple function of the program is to coordinate and expedite the review of development projects when a federal permit is required. When a project does not meet the requirements of state, federal and local regulations, the Program, historically, coordinates the process of getting the stakeholders together to find ways to help the development project become consistent with permit requirements.

The TV commercials would lead us to believe that we are stepping into new and dangerous regulatory territory. If fact, Ballot Proposition 2 takes the best features of the original Alaska Coastal Management Program that served Alaskans for 34 years and a bill that the Alaska State Legislature was prepared to pass in 2011 and combines them.

The opponents of Ballot Proposition are using “buzz” words and fear tactics to make unjustified claims. Their “spin-to-win” methods should be rejected. Please vote YES for responsible coastal management.